Blood Oranges
by Rauden
Summary: It was just Naruto's luck that the first time Jiraiya left him to play with Hiraishin, he was sent to a different world. The point was further driven home when the locals decided it was a good time to eat each other.
1. Season 1 Episode 1

**Blood Oranges**

 **Season 1 Episode 1: A New Day**

It was just Naruto's luck that the first time Jiraiya left him to play with Hiraishin, he was sent to a different world.

The point was further driven home when the locals decided it was a good time to eat each other.

He was observing from afar, at first. As an outsider, he needed to observe the culture of the locals in fear of breaking some sort of societal norm that would draw attention to himself. After sending a couple of henged bunshins to gather info and fetch some necessities, he remained on top of a building, reading a Children's book of all things that teaches English through colourful imagery—something he had to steal, much to his conscience.

It all started in the hospital. There were shouts and screams and there were a lot of men in blue with metal carriages with blue and red lights. There were a lot of patients, unconscious and not- to the point that the hospital wasn't big enough to accept them all. It was obvious to anybody that there was some sort of an epidemic.

From the color of the sleeping patients, he knew that whatever disease it was, has taken over. And so, he was shocked when the supposedly dead people began to devour the living.

It was horrific.

People were wounded and eaten. Too much blood and gore and screams and explosive popping noises so loud, it made his ears ring. Some were even crushed by the people trying to get away. _Children_ were left behind.

An elderly man crushed by the crowd, a little girl crying for her mother, a woman desperately trying to stop the blood from spilling out of her torn throat— for every time he helped one, three more in need of help would appear.

It felt like a nightmare. 14 year old Naruto imagined war must be something like this. No, this must be worse. These were civilians who knew nothing about defending themselves. Civilians who die and wake up as mindless monsters who only knew how to devour flesh—Like some fucked up version of Edo Tensei.

He has dispatched more than enough henged clones to help but he wanted to join the fray himself.

He has a kunai already pulled out but he hesitates because he knew what a single bite can do. His body vibrated with the urge to _protect_ but he's in a completely different _world_ and the bites have _no_ _cure_ and he's _alone._ Even Ero-sennin will agree that it was the smart thing to do but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Unconsciously, he registered the same noises coming from miles away.

He realized with a shiver that whatever was happening in this place… Macon he thinks its name was -is something widespread. Something even a kunai cannot solve.

He felt his clones coming with food, water, clothes and other necessities 'collected' from vacated stores. It included knives and other sharp useful tools, much to his relief.

The sight of his clones jumping and appearing out of thin air caused the witnesses to panic even further. He filed this information away and retreated in a dark alley to deal with his bunshins.

He prays Ero-sennin will find a way to bring him back.

He does not like this world at all.

* * *

Lee and Doug drag away the dead walker out of the bathroom. They were fortunate that it was already dead when Clementine opened the door. How it got there or who stabbed it in the head, nobody knew but at least the little girl's scream defused the welcoming committee's shit show.

Downside is that they now have to find medicine for Larry's colder-than-a-walker's dead heart.

Before Lee can continue his investigation, he noticed a flash of gold in the corner of his eye.

There, in the corner, was a little boy who looked around 14 or 15, reading and muttering to himself. He's wearing a white shirt, an orange hoodie, cargo shorts that looked filled to the brim and strange blue sandals. His wild blond locks reach his brows and brilliant blue eyes. In closer inspection, Lee found very thin whisker-like marks on both of his cheeks and found himself more curious about the boy nobody's speaking to.

"Hello, nice book you've got there. What's your name?" He asked the blonde and was met with a confused stare and a head tilt. It wasn't until Glenn spoke that he understood.

"Oh, you mean Whiskers? He can't speak English to save his life."

Ah, so that's how it is, Lee thought but didn't give up and gestured to himself.

"L-ee." he said, elongating the word for emphasis and then gestured to the blonde who remained mute.

"Ll-eee." He tried again, this time, as though talking to a two year old. Someone giggled at his side and Lee shot a embarrassed but amused look at a little girl.

Lee then gestured to her who was now staring at the boy with wide and curious eyes. "Cle-men-tine."

Upon the reaction, or lack thereof, he continued to think of what the blonde might understand. Lee's eyes lit up and produced an energy bar from his back pocket. Everybody likes food and the blonde could at least recognize it as a sign of good will. He has fed the children and Larry anyway and the blonde seems to be the third youngest.

The boy looked at the bar hesitantly before accepting it with both hands. He looked at the two strangers' expectant faces before reluctantly, gesturing to himself, muttering in an almost inaudible shy sound.

"Naruto,"

Lee would've never thought that a single candy bar would be enough to buy the strange boy's loyalty. But it did.

Later on, the name everyone didn't think mattered would be the same name they will have to rely on in times of great need.

They just didn't know it yet.

* * *

Naruto studied the letters again, Clem patiently pointing out how each one is pronounced. He wasn't sure how it happened but he ended up being the little girl's babysitter… or maybe it was the other way around?

"C-l-e-m"

He muttered to himself, writing the name in English on his notebook before looking at the smiling girl at his side who nodded. "That's right."

"L-i-" He muttered, writing again.

"Ah no, that's wrong. It's supposed to be double-"

Before the girl can finish however, there was an ear-splitting ringing sound.

Suddenly, Clem was holding his hand and everyone is rushing and the moustache man was pointing and yelling things he couldn't understand. Others started to leave while some stayed to push the doors closed.

Someone clutched his arm in a firm grip and looked up to see Lee, his other hand on Clem. "Clem… Naruto. Stay. Together. Okay?"

Naruto only caught their names but judging by the way Clem tightened her hand on his, he thinks he understood. Lee replaced the capped guy in pushing the doors with two others and Naruto meanwhile pushed his back on the shaking furniture barricading one of the windows. The skirt lady later joined his side to push along.

He noticed the door handles and looked for something to stick in-between them. "Ruto, what's wrong?"

"Ano- eto..." He pointed at the handles, quickly gesturing his message. "Stop… stick… Lee"

Somehow, Clem caught up and quickly went to a separate room and reappeared with a cane which she immediately gave to Lee. "Stick it in between!"

"Good idea, Clem!"

After sticking it in between however, two people screamed for him at once.

The guy on a green shirt was being pulled at the windows while the woman is being pulled by the ankle.

Immediately, Naruto abandoned his barricade and plunged the kunai on the dead guy's head that was pulling at the lady while Lee pulled away the green shirted man from the windows.

"Whoa," The lady stared at him, suddenly pale. "Thanks, but where did you-?"

"Let's GO!" Kenny ordered the retreat and they were hastily scrambling away.

One of the dead pulled at Clem's ankle but was easily dismantled with the boy's sharp stomp from a heel. He pulled the girl from the floor and headed to the exit where the sick old guy was, Lee at their heels. The two made it out and the boy heard the sound of somebody getting sucker punched.

"No!" Clem shouted at Lee's collapsed form and Naruto gripped at his bloodied kunai wondering if it would be okay to stick it on the old man's deteriorating heart.

Unfortunately, the pointy end ended up sticking on the dead pursuing Lee before he offered a hand to the man on the floor.

They followed Moustache and Old Man out, Naruto holding in the murderous intent on the latter.

This world sucks ass but Naruto finally found friends to look after. He wasn't going to lose them anytime soon.

* * *

 _AN: Going to dump A LOT of unpublished stuff soon._


	2. Season 1 Episode 2 part 1

**Blood Oranges**

 **Season 1 Episode 2 part 1**

It has been some time since the beginning of the apocalypse. They've been staying in the motel for three months and have been doing decently with food, surprisingly enough. This is mostly thanks to Mark, someone they've saved and allowed to join in exchange for food. But this is also thanks to Naruto, who while still couldn't communicate properly, happened to have a bunch of survival skills around his belt.

And knives— lots and lots of knives.

"Hey Lee, have you ever..." Mark trailed of, looking pointedly at the blonde in front of them. "...get weirded out by him?"

Despite the vagueness, Lee understood and while a part of him felt defensive for the boy, it was natural to be suspicious about his 'talents'. And since Lee and Clem are the closest to the blonde, he might know more, right? Wrong.

Naruto is 14, speaks Japanese and has unusual talents. He also has an obsession with the color orange and anything remotely Japanese but they have nothing about his background. Nothing about family and friends and his answer to the question of where he is from is 'Far away'.

"He's a nice young man, if a little..." _Lonely_. But loneliness during times like these is fairly common.

So why does it feel like there's something more to it?

Mark nodded in agreement, seeming to have formed his own conclusions. It makes Lee wonder how much the blond actually understood in their conversation. Judging by his lack of reaction, Lee thinks not much. "I hear ya. Man, you remember the first time he hunted lunch? Still can't believe that kid has been hiding some tricks up his sleeve. Just when we thought he couldn't get any weirder..."

Lee remembers it clearly. The blonde was drawing things on his notebook and gathering twigs and scraps around the motel only to retire to his room. A day later, the boy showed his trapping devices to Lily. Doug, the nerd of the group, was especially interested with his drawings.

"You think he's some sort of a super boy scout?"

"I wouldn't know." Lee shrugged, preferring indoors. "Why not ask him yourself?"

"I doubt he even know what that means." Mark huffed, the weight of the animal carcasses on his belt weighing him down. They probably should stop talking but he preferred this than the tense silence. "It's good he respects you, Lee. You know he doesn't take shit from Lily and Kenny but when you talk, he actually listens. Everybody does, really."

The most disturbing part was that Lee couldn't even deny it. The idea of leading a group of survivors in an apocalypse makes his stomach churn.

The conversation trailed off as they got closer to their destination. Their footsteps began to lighten and they began growing rigid. The heat became unbearable without a distraction and Mark can feel his polo stick to his skin.

The boy on his front twitched at his uncomfortable shuffling. He slowed down his pace, matching Lee's. Someone with sensitive hearing holding a knife was not someone he wanted to annoy.

Thankfully, they began hearing tiny squeals... and rough groans. A single gesture from the boy led all three of them to crouch. A few feet away, two walkers surround their target. Mark's mouth watered at the sight of the struggling rabbit hanging by a rope on top of their tree. It must have been the one attracting the walkers.

Weapons drawn, the two men followed behind, stepping on the same areas the boy does to avoid the dead leaves and branches. Once close enough, Lee tapped the boy on the shoulder to pause and then nodded to Mark.

Despite Naruto's capabilities, Lee is still quite protective of him. "Ready?"

Mark pulled out his screwdriver, foregoing the rifle. After a glance with Lee who held his axe, the two took action. Besides the sound of the squelching heads, the kills were silent and swift. They never saw them coming. Even the kid looked on approvingly before untying the rabbit on top.

Lee took the rabbit and slit it with the boy's knife, silencing its cries. After 3 months, the movement felt almost mechanical. While they let it bleed, the men let the kid reset the trap. Mark glued his eyes on their surroundings, resisting the urge to look at his impressive movements.

Naruto may have taught the rest of them how his snares work but it was still more efficient with him doing it. Besides, the sooner they got out of the forest, the better.

Naruto dusted his pants as he stood back up, double checking his work. Lee handed the rabbit carcass to Mark who proceeded tying the thing on his side along with the rest of their game.

"That should be enough." Lee muttered, glancing at his own collection similar to Mark's. "Good work, guys... Naruto, what's wrong?"

They pause as Naruto raised a hand, silencing them. Mark assumed that the boy merely sensed an incoming animal but Lee caught the rigidness in his posture.

A loud scream pierced the forest and Lee automatically chased after Naruto's back, followed by a taken aback Mark. They stopped when the blonde dropped to a crouch and they followed his line of sight to find two panicking teens... and a yelling man on a bear trap.

"W-what're we gonna do?!" Mark hissed. A group of walkers can be seen trudging to the three and Naruto turned questioningly at Lee, as though waiting for orders. They haven't been seen and they could just turn around and pretend they didn't see anything. They were aware that bringing more mouths to feed could only raise the group's growing tensions but it took only a second for Lee to make up his mind.

* * *

There was a kunai on one head and then a kitchen knife on another. There was a particularly tall one that Naruto couldn't reach so he knocked its legs and stabbed it at the back of the head. Another walked towards them, reaching out and was down a second later.

They were slow and mindless. Take away their numbers and dealing with them is easy.

Lee grunts behind him, followed by a squelch. And to have allies covering his back— he's practically untouchable. And so, he continued to move, his arms like a blur.

He wasn't like a dancer— twirling and all graceful and smooth movements with Jutsus left and right. Twirling would mean surrounding yourself with enemies at all sides. Killing doesn't have to be graceful, smooth or pretty. And Jutsus are overpowered, will cause suspicion from his civilian allies and burn tons of energy he doesn't have right now. Not when they barely have any food. Who knew those bowls of Ichiraku mean a lot to his ninja career?

The hardest part is probably the stench— it made his eyes water and his nose flare. He reasons with himself that it is a clear reminder that they are dead. Naruto has never killed anyone before and the belief that whoever owned the bodies before would probably thank him for his service keeps his conscience clean.

One last walker and Naruto decided on a little experiment and slashed. It only scratched the skull, confirming his belief that stabbing is still more efficient. He raised his other hand and plunged the kunai while frowning at the kitchen knife he slashed with. The knives in this world weren't made to kill— he will have to sharpen it later. Again.

"Holy shit..." One of the survivors, the black haired one, muttered. Naruto meanwhile searched the corpses for something to loot. He found some unopened crackers. Clem might like that. "How did you-? You're just a kid..."

"That's him... Naruto, stab machine extraordinaire." Lee ruffled his head fondly— the one of the only two who dares, the other one being Carley. "Everybody, try not to make any noise. Naruto, can you free the man from the trap?"

At this, said boy testily stepped on one of the leaf springs, ignoring the groaning man, and confirmed that it will need a big clamp to pry it open— something they don't have. He can easily break the lock and loose the chain but that won't set him free from the trap. Naruto however, can think of someone who can.

"Doug,"

"Doug might know?" He nodded. Doug is the smartest, after all. "We're going to bring him here, then?"

"No," He pointed at the lock and gestured to Lee's axe. "Break. Bring them back."

"Should be easy enough." He's done this in the pharmacy before, after all. Lee raised his blood splattered axe and broke the lock causing the chains to loose. "Done. You two, I never got your names."

"I'm Travis-" The short black haired teen said before waving at the tall, lanky guy with brown hair at his side. "...and this is Ben. That's our teacher, Mr. Parker."

"I'm Lee, that's Mark and this is Naruto." Lee quickly introduced. He then tried to lift the bear trap, trying not to disturb the leg too much. "Ben and Travis, I need you two to help us carry your teacher back. Naruto, can you carry most of our catch at the mean time?"

He wordlessly took the line of catch from Lee and Mark. It was heavy but nothing he couldn't handle.

The four of them began carrying the teacher while Naruto trailed behind, glancing around the forest for any hostilities. He hears Mark complaining about something that includes Lily and couldn't help but agree. She's gonna explode when she sees this.

* * *

He was right. And Naruto was smart enough to use his dead animal carcasses as a means of escape to prepare lunch. That and his inability to understand anything they say.

He caught Lily mention his name. "If it weren't for Naruto, we would be-!"

And immediately cut the eavesdropping off, uninterested. He pulled Clementine with him. He's been teaching the girl how to do these things anyway. Duck, surprisingly, grabbed his other hand. The boy reminds him of his younger self a little bit—annoying and dumb as a rock but always a ball of sunshine.

They pass by broken mirrors and Naruto caught his reflection. He's lost weight but not to the point of malnourishment. The tiniest bit taller, hair less bright and a little longer… The face on his reflection looks like a different person. The boy looked tired, with sharper features, and his blue eyes looked-

He looked away. Yeah, he's not going to let Duck look like that.

They sat down, washed their hands and began working, bowls of water between the three of them. He handled the cutting while the children washed the rest. The group's voices became a blur in the background.

"Naruto, is that injured man going to be okay?" Clem asked

"Yeah! What's that thing on his leg?" Followed by Duck

It took the blonde a little to translate. "Trap. Doug and Kat-jaa... fix, maybe." He was still fumbling for words when someone interrupted them.

"Um... hello?" It was... Ben, he thinks his name was.

"Hi! What's your name?" Doug looked ecstatic at meeting someone new. "I'm Duck, this is Clementine and that's Naruto!"

"Oh, I'm Ben. So, hey- uh can I help you with that?" Naruto looked for his other companion, Travis, and found him helping Doug with their teacher, along with Katjaa. Ben must've caught on because he was explaining the next second. "They said they already have more than enough hands..."

"Ah," Naruto wasn't at the stage of proper communication yet but he understood that the boy was offering help, for some reason—probably to escape the dispute. Being in the middle of that would be painfully awkward.

"You can join us. Right, Naruto?" Before he could muster a reply, the children were already making room. Oh well...

He produced an extra kitchen knife for Ben and handed him a squirrel. He immediately started fumbling with both, looking a little green. Naruto suddenly felt afraid for the boy's life. "Oh! Um- this is uh..."

It was like watching Carley all over again. How in the world did they live for this long? He wordlessly instructed the boy on what to do.

These sort of things were ingrained into them back in the Academy and even the civilians of his world could do at least this much. But then again, he's with a group who planned to rely on packaged foods that are obviously limited instead of hunting for animals. Said group also rely on weapons that produce sound that attracts enemies on at least a mile radius. Their smartest member who managed to create a complicated detection device for their camp didn't plan on making a simple snare to make hunting safer, faster and easier.

He glanced at Ben's butchered work. Hopefully, the broth could cover the mess and make it look appetizing.

Naruto sometimes wonder how this group will manage without him.

* * *

Lee, with Travis, kept the injured man company. As a fellow professor, they bonded easily and traded stories of better days to keep the man's mind off of the trap still on his leg. Doug tinkered with it, a wrench on one hand.

"What's the verdict, Doug?"

"Normally, we'll need a C-clamp to open it. We can probably get one from the hardware store across the drug store-"

Lee didn't like the sound of that. "We'll need to send people out again?"

"You can do that or..." Doug removed one last bolt at the side and pulled out one of the teeth away easily. He grinned at Mr Parker's, Travis' and Lee's stupefied faces. "I've disassembled it instead of prying it open! It's pretty simple stuff, nothing a wrench can't handle."

The teacher was crying tears of joy, looking ready to hug the shit out of Doug if not for his injuries. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, thank you. We really thought we have to cut his leg, for a moment there." Travis smiled in relief. "Hold on, let me get Ben for you, Mr. Parker. He'll want to know about this."

Lee chuckled. "Doug, you're a genius."

"It's a little early for celebration, I think" Katjaa said but still smiled at Doug's success. She elevated the injured leg and waved her husband to come over. "He might need a tetanus shot. Other than that, his tibia is fractured and his punctures might get infected if they're not treated soon."

"With you taking care of him, I'm sure he'll be fine, hon." Kenny said, bringing over medical supplies for his wife. "Let's put these metals away, Lee. I doubt Parker would wanna see these anymore."

Lee agreed and began carrying the disassembled trap parts with Kenny, putting them away. They rubbed their hands on their pants, afterwards, wiping away the grime and rust.

Lee noticed Kenny's intense stare on the parts. "Ken, you got something to say?"

"I've seen it used before in Maine and this looks... weird." Kenny said, scratching his head uncomfortably. "The trapper is unhygienic. They don't clean it after each and every trap and you would want to do that because the animals can smell the blood. You can tell because it has a lot of coats but something looks missing..."

"What're you trying to say, Ken? What's missing?"

"There's blood and grass and twigs… but there are no fur marks." A suddenly pale looking Ken pointed at an area of one of the teeth with a shaky finger. "You see that, Lee? That old blood's too dark to be Mr. Parker's"

"...A hand print." Lee said, looking sick. The hand's position looked like it was trying to force it open.

"This trap's not for animals, it's for-"

There was a sound of small bells— a soothing sound on any other occasion if the rest didn't know that it was from Doug's detection device.

"Back off!" Carley was the quickest to pull out a gun and immediately pointed to the intruders. On the other side of the camp, Naruto shielded the children and hooked a finger on one of his kunais.

Lee felt a bit of tension fade away at the two intruders' raised hands— a surrender. He shared a grim look with Ken before trudging towards the two.

They both knew now that somebody wanted to hurt them for whatever reason. Trust will not be given so very freely anymore, especially with outsiders.

* * *

"They're offering us food! What the hell are you pussies so scared about?!" Larry growled, ignoring his daughter's hand on his arm.

"Now, now, we're not saying that we shouldn't accept their offer. We're just saying that we need to be careful. We don't know these people and they're suddenly inviting us to come to their home." Lee explained, raising a placating hand.

Kenny nodded at his side. "Sounds pretty sketchy to me. Might be an ambush."

"If you're so adamant about not trusting strangers then maybe you should've left these three dead weights out to be eaten!"

"Dad, please..." Lily, rubbed the area between her eyes, feeling an incoming headache. She's too hungry to deal with this. "How about this... we give them some of our gas and they give us food. Lee, choose a few to bring with you and check if the area's safe. Maybe we can even bring the rest over for a day?"

One St. John brothers, Andrew, nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan."

"Fine, a small group will have to return to guard the motel though. Any volunteers to scout?" Carley, Ben ,Mark and Naruto stepped forward. "Alright, get what you need and let's go."

All four didn't pack much. In a time like this, your weapon is all you need.

Naruto however, did pause for a minute, releasing the bunshins studying English inside his room. If he were to expect an ambush, he's going to need his full strength. A small wave of nausea however, hit him because of the memories.

"Naruto, you okay?" Carley asked and he cursed himself for being caught off guard. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine." He assured her with a tired smile.

"Can I come?" Clem asked the blonde, gripping his sleeve. Her guardian and her close friend were leaving without her.

"No, can be dangerous." He rubbed her head gently and frowned. Something looks wrong about the girl. "Hat?"

Clem looked sad at this. It's a gift from her father and she's never seen without it. "It's missing."

"I'll help find it." He assured. "Stay with Doug, maybe."

"You sure you wanna come along, Naruto?" Carley looked a little worried; he's still just a kid, after all. But he nodded, pulling out a collection of kunais for the woman to see. She chuckled but he also caught a touch of concern on her features. "I swear, I don't know where you pull those out from."

"Ninja secret no. 1:" He wagged his legs, showing off his cargo shorts. "Pockets"

"Ninja. Riiiight..." She smiled, ruffling his hair fondly.

She reminds him of Ayame-neechan.


	3. Season 1 Episode 2 part 2

**Blood Oranges**

 **Season 1 Episode 2 part 2**

Naruto is no stranger to bandits. They were people who stole and ravage and generally had no qualms with doing questionable deeds for the betterment of their group. But with the world the way it is, these sort of deeds have become the norm. No more do people have to label the other when they were all generally the same— Survivors.

That's what Naruto thought until he watched a man nonsensically shoot his comrade to the ground.

They were on their way to scout the farm when they caught the tail end of the two bandits' arguement. Hidden, they watched as the bickering turned into a bloody murder scene.

He could perhaps blame the hunger and the struggle to survive for the man's short temper but the lack of regret and guilt he showed afterwards sickened the boy. At least his people kill with purpose, this was just a result of a petty squabble. It was a meaningless death. A waste of life.

Once they were sure nobody else was nearby, the group returned to their path, eager to leave. Nobody noticed the light smoke escaping from the blonde who trailed back.

A minute later, from one of the trees, a blond boy came to view. A stab on the head later, and the copy rummaged for loot. There was a pistol and a bit of ammunition. The bandit who killed him was foolish to forget looting something so crucial. He glanced at the trail his target left behind and followed.

* * *

After months in the motel, the farm looks like a dream to Lee. It was wide, safe and _clean_. The implications of his and Kenny's discovery still linger in his mind but the image of a safe haven was too good to ignore. It was only him, Carley, Ben, Mark and Naruto for now.

Lee noticed Naruto inspecting the area, nose twitching and strangely, a grimace on his normally stoic but friendly face.

"What do you think, Naruto?"

While his training with Jiraiya had been brief, it was enough for him to look out when things are looking up. That and coupled with his wariness as a ninja, he's feeling eager to get out of the place at a moment's notice.

It was untouched and quiet— too quiet. Like a stage with convincing props but had mannequins for actors, pretending to be something it's not.

"Bad." He muttered, keeping a wary eye on the brothers who are now speaking with their mother. Looking at them all together, he noticed they all had the same animalistic eyes. "Very bad..."

Lee's always trusted Naruto's gut and he's never seen him this nervous before, not even with Walkers. There was that bear trap issue but that could've been set by anyone. While Lee felt anxious about the situation, it felt wrong to judge these people without cause.

"How about you join Carley and Ben to get the others? They even offered bread to eat along the way." Lee figured a little walk will help loosen the boy. If anything goes wrong, they should have enough firepower anyway. "You can stay there, if you want."

He shook his head. Staying in the motel while not knowing the situation will only drive him nuts. "Want to stay."

"It's okay, we'll take care of everything here. The brothers asked Lee and I to clear out the Walkers on their fences." Mark grinned, eager to help.

"And me?"

"I dunno, they said you're too young, so... Hey, their words not mine!" That didn't loosen the boy's frown. Carley giggled, ruffling his head.

"Now, now, big guy, they don't know you like we do. Besides, there's a lot of things you can do around the farm like uh-" She looked around before settling on a big tree beside the house. "There's a broken swing over there. You'll fix it for us, won't you? I'm sure Clem and Duck would love to try one of those..."

Naruto would rather do something more useful but the mention of the kids softened him up a little bit. Plus, he can never say no to the woman.

She smiled at his changed demeanor. "Looks like that's a yes."

"How do you do that?" Mark complained. He can never get Naruto to do anything.

"It's a ladies touch."

Their conversation ended at Brenda's return, carrying a basket of bread. They may be psychopaths in disguise but Naruto had to admit he was a little impressed they managed to make bread. Carley and Ben were the first to leave. Mark looked more than raring to go but Lee hovered hesitantly, realizing he had to leave the blonde boy alone.

"Don' worry, we'll watch your boy for ya." Andy assured Lee but this didn't help his nerves.

"Okay, okay..." Lee went in for a hug before whispering to him. "You're armed, aren't you?"

Naruto resisted the urge to give him an eyeroll. If there's anything the group knew about Naruto, it's that he constantly has a concerning amount of knives at all times. Nobody dares ask where he pulls them from. Instead, he nodded. "Hn."

There was no way Lee trusted these strangers but he knew he can always trust Naruto. And should they try anything on the blonde, they will surely be in for a surprise.

* * *

A man with a shotgun walked alone in the forest. His face was covered with the same mask the rest of his group has. For how long they've been surviving, nobody knows, but it looks like they will have to find another hunting spot. It has been a week since anyone in his dumbass group has captured anything. At this rate, they might be forced to try threatening the farm. The rumors are obviously made up to cut down competition.

He recalls what happened earlier and thought about how they're better off without the blubbering fuck. He was nothing but a waste to their resources— a useless leech.

A loud snapping twig behind him caused him to jump. He readied his gun and waited with baited breath. He saw orange first, followed by raised hands in a position of surrender and he blinked. It was a blonde boy, no younger than 13, wearing an orange hoodie and cargo shorts. "H-hello,"

His blue eyes were wide with fear and his hands shook with his voice. He's seen that look before on several others and it was the same look as the guy he shot minutes before.

While he wasn't in the mood and would rather let his gun do the talking, he hesitated. He just killed one of their members, some of them might get pissed by that. Perhaps he can use the boy as a peace offering? Some of the sick fucks in the other camps prefer them young. A pretty boy should fetch a few can goods.

"Um," The boy interrupted his thoughts "Join you?"

Great. The kid couldn't even form complete sentences. "Look kid, I'm not looking for a puppy to-"

He paused at a sight of something he hasn't seen for some time. There, at the boy's waist, were two squirrel carcasses. It looked to have been freshly gutted and washed. "How did you...?"

The boy glanced at his squirrels before shrugging timidly, letting his hands down at the man's confusion. "Was hunting."

The boy lifted his games and the man salivated at the sight of meat. They've been trying to get some of those for weeks. "Want?"

"You know how to start a fire?" The boy nodded and after getting permission with a wave of a hand, proceeded gathering sticks. The man looked up, checking the position of the sun to know if he still had time. The rest of the group would skin him alive if they knew but he didn't care. This was his to take.

It took him far too long but the boy finally managed to start cooking. He let him do the work and watched. Kid may have some sort of a speech defect but he has food— that makes him a whole lot better than the pricks. Maybe the boy can even make a decent lackey.

During their meal's preparation, he learned that the boy's name was Mark and that he survived in a treehouse for the first few weeks before eventually needing to hunt food on his own. The man didn't introduce himself but was placated by the smell of cooking food enough to admit that he belongs in a group of bandits and that they were all originally from a bigger group from a Save Lots grocery store. "Why big group become small groups?"

The man answered, poking the embers, not taking off his eye on the food. He's determined not to fuck this up. "Food shortages. Backstabbing. A lotta people want to take charge. There's that thing about the barn too."

The boy perked up. "Barn?"

"Yeah, they got a lotta food they say. They made deals with them to 'protect'... and I use that term loosely- the barn, in exchange for food. A few people went missing and rumors started spreading because of a so called escapee." He stood up to inspect the food. "Said they're a bunch of uh... cannibals. I'm pretty sure fuckers lied so they can hog the food for themseves though."

"Can-ni-bals?" Mark looked confused at the word and he sighed in aggravation. He hasn't had a decent meal in weeks, and the topic is an appetite ruiner. The squirrels look about done and he eagerly took them off the fire before taking one. He doesn't want to be distracted, might as well be as blunt to the kid as possible.

"They eat people." He took a mouthful of squirrel meat. The animal is thin and bony but the hunger is too great and he doesn't want to talk anymore. His teeth tore through bone and cartilage and it wasn't until he was halfway through his squirrel that he realized that the boy haven't taken his. Looking up to where his companion sat, he saw empty space. Looking around the clearing made it clear he was nowhere to be found. The man felt a chill run down his spine. Where had he gone? He wouldn't have been talking to a ghost, would he?

* * *

Lee assisted an injured Mark when they were finally on the clear. Removing Walker corpses on the defences was quick work. Lee was especially insistent on finishing as soon as possible, worried about leaving Naruto alone. Everything went downhill however when the electric fence turned on and the bandits started attacking.

The brothers were the first to greet them, Naruto at their heels. It was just their luck that the rest of the group arrived at the exact moment. A bit of explanation later and Mark was being hauled inside by Brenda. A very pale Mr. Parker, who was being assisted by Travis, followed for medical assistance as well.

Lee had to go around, assuring the group before checking on Clem and Naruto who were watching Duck ride the swing. "Good work, kid. Looks like you fixed the swing, after all."

Naruto shrugged because it was honestly little to no work for him but the two other children thought otherwise.

"Thanks for fixing it, Ruto. It reminds me of the old days."

"Yeah, having a swing is super cool!"

Lee noticed a wooden board with multiple holes nailed at the side of the tree. He would recognize one of Naruto's target practice boards anywhere. "You got bored?"

"Andy talking about sick cow. Briskets for dinner. Won't leave." He had to scare him away. Lee felt a bit of sympathy for the man, it took them some time to get used to Naruto's small antics.

"Have you used the swing yet?"

"No." While they were gone, Naruto had to make sure to have his back on the wall in case of an ambush and keep the family on his sights. Riding on the swing felt risky. Besides, he would rather have the younger ones play instead. Speaking of which... "Clem instead."

"You fixed it! You have to go first." Clem insisted and Lee felt a little proud. Naruto, on the other hand, just looked uncomfortable. He knew when the girl's mind was fixed though. "Me and Lee will push you."

Once Duck's turn was done, Clem nudged Naruto over and he complied. Sitting on the swing felt strange to the blonde. It reminded him of the darker days of his youth when he watched from the swing as the rest of his classmates and their parents ignored him from the distance. The smile on Kenny and Duck's faces as they watched and the hands that pushed him from behind all felt severely out of place but weren't unwelcome.

Eventually, his feet left the ground and the wind kissed his face. As he was pushed higher, the lighter he seemed to breathe. Naruto hasn't felt like this since arriving to this world. Like he wasn't lost and pressured of keeping everyone fed and alive. They may be from different worlds, but Clem has put it remarkably well earlier: It reminds him of the old days.

Kenny felt his chest ache at the sight. He doesn't think he's seen the boy look this happy— this at peace. Naruto is such a reliable and dependable kid that most of them sometimes forget he was just 14. Him included, especially whenever he sees his son play with the boy. There was always this small fear that the blonde might whip out one of his knives one day and show his true colors. Looking at him now, he wonders if this is what the real Naruto is like. If this is what he used to be. He wonders if this is the last time the boy will be this happy and prays it won't be.

And with a snap, the magic disappeared.

Naruto's expression changed and his feet met the ground, surpring the two behind him. The blonde closed his eyes as his head throbbed at the rush of memories and the feelings of dread and terror his _Bunshin_ felt. "Naruto?"

He had to bite his cheek to stop himself from telling Lee to take Clem and get the hell out of this place. Because he has no evidence to back his claims. Because he can feel Danny St. John listening around the corner. Because cannibals have three of their people inside the house and he has no idea if they're still alive. For the first time in so long, Naruto doesn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, Clem was getting scared. Her friend looked pale and sweaty and was shaking like he was going to puke. He gripped the swing ropes tightly and his eyes— she's never seen them look so icy before. "Ruto, what's wrong?"

"Hey, something wrong with 'im?" Danny called out, emerging from his spot.

Lee quickly moved to comfort him but was taken aback as the boy looked to be the picture of a blank board. There was still paleness and sweat but the rest of him is a clean slate. Lee tried to hide the boy from their host's prying eyes. Whatever's going on with him, he obviously doesn't want them to know. "Don't worry, he should be okay in a bit."

"He can prolly' use a glass of water. There's some inside." Naruto glued his eyes on the grass because hiding his hate felt impossible in front of the man. The cool feel of metal beneath his sleeves has never felt so tempting. "There should still be some space upstairs. You can join your friends there."

Lee was about to refuse until the blonde spoke up. "Okay,"

He froze. "...Naruto?"

"Will go inside a bit." He told Lee. He knew what an opening looks like and he was never one to let an opportunity go by. "Want to see friends."

"Then I'll go with you."

"No, I'll-/No!" Danny and Naruto said in unison. An awkward pause later and Naruto was explaining. "Won't be long. Stay with Clem."

"Can you excuse us for a sec?" Lee dragged him at the side by the arm.

"Kid, what are you-"

"Lee." He interrupted sharply and the man has never seen him look so deathly serious. "Danger."

"You know something?"

He struggled to think of a good enough proof that wouldn't raise suspicion on himself but couldn't. So, he settled for a warning. "Bring Carley and Ben and Doug for back up but don't let family know. Ready weapons. Ready to leave fast."

"Naruto, do you know something?"

"Bad place." He hesitated "Friends inside might be... I don't know. If we come out, need leave."

"If? Naruto, what do you mean by 'If'?" Lee was beginning to look aggravated. He wanted to sit the boy down and have a long talk but people were expecting them. They don't have a lot of time. "Please tell me, Naruto."

He wanted to. He so very much wanted to but not without proof, not without appearing suspicious. How can he explain how he knew? Nobody talks about it but he knew they felt uncomfortable with the way he handles his kunais and the kitchen knives. If Lee knew he was from another world and has powers, it would break his relations with not only him, but Clementine as well. Naruto struggled for an answer, recalling his conversation with the bandit and what he knew of the farm and Andy—

His eyes widened. "No cows."

"Naruto, what's this have to do with-"

"Only one."

Lee looked confused. "What?"

"Deal. Family give bandits food, right?" He had try to make him see. "Only one cow. Why brisket for dinner?"

Lee froze, blood draining from his face. He recalls the bear trap. Mark, Mr. Parker and Travis have been inside the house for hours. They have to- no, _need_ to leave. But not without their people inside. They have hostages without even knowing it and Naruto's volunteering to go alone and that thought alone made his blood boil. Lee will not stand for it.

"Naruto, listen to me," He went down a knee and gripped the boy hard on the shoulders. His voice was hushed but solid and serious. "You will not go there."

"Lee-"

"I said, you will not-"

"One hour."

"No."

"Half hour." The man wasn't budging and Naruto was beginning to get irritated. He's being treated like a kid again. "You have other plans?"

The man looked put on the spot and when he struggled to answer, the boy raised an eyebrow. Lee grunted. "Can't I be the one to go in?"

"I'm 'sick' one. Reason. Unsuspicious. Small." At least he wasn't dealing with outright refusal and Lee was now leaning towards reluctance. "I'm strong. Be okay. Please, Lee."

That made Lee pause. Naruto never begs. Judging by Lee's face, Naruto knew he has sent the message across.

Lee felt too incredulous to stop the boy from passing him by and towards Danny St. John. He felt his skin crawl at the sight. His whole body screamed to snatch the boy back but he can't show suspicion. He can't show that they know. He has no choice but to trust the boy.

"Please be safe..."

It was a whisper— a small prayer under his breath but Lee could've sworn the boy do a thumbs up before the door closed behind him.

* * *

 _AN: You think this should be M-rated for the language?_

 _As for me, good friend died. Followed by my cousin. Cancer fucking sucks. Stupid US Visa got rejected so I couldn't even go to the funeral. But hey, I updated. Whee. Hope yall had a better month._


	4. Season 1 Episode 2 part 3

**Blood Oranges**

 **Season 1 Episode 2 part 3**

The inside of the house felt and looked just as normal as the outside, which was not at all. Subtle effects of the apocalypse showed on the dried blood in between the wooden floorboards and a closet blocking what appears to be an extension of the household but his attention was drawn mostly on other things. Danny St. John locking the door, a man on a picture— most likely Brenda's husband is a possible additional suspect they may not have seen yet and oil lamps on the walls— to burn the place to the ground. Entering the dining room, he counted two windows and another two on the kitchen. Their friends must be on the second floor.

Brenda came out of the kitchen to greet them. He tried not to stare at the miniscule blood splatters on her green apron. "Oh, well if it isn't little Naruto! How can I help you, darlin'?"

"He's feeling a little sick, ma. I think he could use a drink."

"Poor dear... don' worry, there's water inside. Sit down, don' be shy."

Dan took the chair he was eyeing— and he begrudgingly took the chair across him, leaving his back to face the doorway. The man set his rifle to lean at the table while he pulled out a handle of one of his kunai from his pant leg for easier access. A minute later and Brenda came out with drinks for all of them, defusing the tension. "Here you go, honey. I'm sure you'll feel all better after a bit to drink."

Brenda sat beside Naruto and he took one from the tray. Thankfully, Dan began speaking before she could further speak with him. "We'll leave to the forest soon, ma. Can't let the bandits get away and all."

"Oh dear, well you be careful then."

"Many bandits?" Naruto asked before taking a sip. If he wanted to look convincing, he has to play the part.

"There used to be more but since they broke into smaller groups, not a lot should be left by now."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. My son and Lee will take care of them."

He paused from his drink. He didn't know that. "Lee?"

Danny nodded. "Yup, your guardian and I are heading to the forest later to deal with them."

That sounded dangerous. "Only you two?"

Brenda chuckled "They'll handle them just fine. You need rest."

"I'm okay." Naruto insisted then asked "Where biggest bandit group?"

"They're hauling at the Save Lots up north by the interstate." Danny answered easily and Naruto wondered how much they actually know. "From what we've gathered, they consist mostly of the grocery's employees. They've been victimizing a lot of people in these areas especially that one school nearby. You know— the one some friends of yours came from. You're a real curious george, aren't cha?"

He shrugged, playing with his empty glass. It felt slippery in his fingers. "Good... to know enemies."

"Well, that's very smart of you but you need to worry more about yourself, at the moment."

There was something in the tone of her voice that made him look up. Both of them were looking at him now, their glasses untouched.

His cup slipped from his fingers and crashed on the floor. Everything looked out of focus. His toungue felt thick and his fingers too clumsy to effectively throw a kunai. Jiraiya would have been furious.

Relying on his body weight and the pressure on his toes, Naruto violently shoved the dining table forward, slamming Dan on the chest across the room. He let his exhaustion take him to the floor, launching himself sideways to where the rifle fell, dodging Brenda's grabby arms as he did. He reached for the trigger to alert everyone outside but a boot crushed his hand first. A knife slipped from his left sleeve and quickly dove to the man's foot.

"You fucking shit!" Ignoring the scream and the blood, his feet kicked as the woman behind him grabbed at his legs. A sharp, well placed kick to the solar plexus sent her spasming to the floor. The edges of his vision began to darken— it was becoming increasingly hard to focus.

"Back off."

He looked up and saw Danny pointing the rifle at his head menacingly, his hands covered by his own blood, much to the blonde's satisfaction. Almost lazily, Naruto took his time to face him from the floor before grinning tiredly. "Go ahead. Let everyone know."

The look of initial confusion and sudden understanding was enough of a distraction for him to slap the barrel away and hook his leg to topple the man. He immediately closed the distance, relying on his body weight to strangle the man to unconsciousness while trying to stay awake himself. Jiraiya's lessons was applied when he began focusing on the jugular vein. It turned out to be quite effective as the struggling and panicking man began turning a shade of blue.

However, just as the man underneath him began to slacken, something slammed behind Naruto's head. And then he saw no more.

...

Holding his rifle, Lee's eyes darted around constantly in the middle of the woods. He would've relied more on his hearing if not for his companion who he is following. Living with Naruto for months has trained him to make his steps as quiet as possible, so the loud stomps of Danny St. John in front of him sounded like dinner bells for Walkers.

When the man came out of the house earlier for their apparent bandit hunt, he looked pale beyond belief. When Lee asked out of fake concern, the man simply waved it off and began limping to the gates. There was some blood on his right pant leg and Lee would've been more concerned for what happened to Naruto if not for how the man seemed to favor his left foot.

And so, before leaving the barn, he secretly warned Ken and Lily, heeding the boy's request.

" _Cannibals...?" Lily asked in disbelief, trying to let it sink in._

" _I have to get my family outta here." Kenny muttered._

" _Dad too but he would definitely want to know what's happening and even I know he can be a little loud sometimes. And we can't afford that."_

" _Tsk. We should've known. 'Specially after we've realized there was something off with that fuckin' bear trap"_

" _You knew?" She hissed and Ken was instantly on the defense._

" _We figured the bear trap was set by... cannibals," He shivered at the word. "-but we weren't sure and never had proof it was them, besides it was a recent development."_

" _We need a plan." Lee changed the topic before it goes any further. The two noticed this but knew it wasn't the time for an argument. "Naruto said it would be good to get backup from the motor inn, just in case."_

" _I'll handle that. I need to bring Duck and Katjaa back anyway. I'll tell them Duck left his medication in the inn if they asked."_

" _Bring Clem with you." Lee pleads and Ken nodded._

" _You got it."_

" _And I'll stay here as a lookout. My dad will never budge anyway." She shook her head. Her father will surely be pissed after all this but at least he would be alive. "Once Kenny's back with the others and you finish up in the forest, we'll make a confrontation."_

" _Lily, about Naruto..."_

 _Lee wasn't sure what to ask but she understood anyway. It was no wonder considering her soft spot for the boy. Naruto's quiet sincerity has won many people over. "If I hear anything happen inside, Naruto or not, I'll gun the place down. You can count on that."_

" _Thank you."_

" _Yeah, just make sure you do..._ _ **it**_ _."_

" _That's right, Lee. You'll know what to do later, right?" Kenny looked at him seriously with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. "I know you've never done this before but this is for our safety— for our children's safety."_

He doesn't say it then but he _has_ done it before, a secret kept between him and Carley. But Lee's conscience demands a confession or at the very least, a confirmation. He's not about to have the blood of an innocent man stain his hands. Shaking his head to remove dark thoughts, he focused his attention on their path, memorizing landmarks and trees to not get lost later. He tried not to look at the back of the man in front of him or noticed how the gun in his hands felt significantly heavier by the second.

Eventually, they arrived at a clearing. It was a relatively small camp and looked nothing like what he imagined. Danny was adamant about it belonging to the bandits however so he humoured the man and joined him to search the place anyway. There were boxes from Save Lots just as expected and a few more from the farm. "Find anything worth taking?"

"None." He lies, secretly pocketing a video camera before heading to the tent. His eyes were immediately drawn to a bloody stuffed bunny toy. It lay on top of a kid's pink sleeping bag with a picture of a woman and her daughter. There's a story here and he definitely doesn't like it. The people who live here aren't bandits obviously but the boxes says otherwise. It really made Lee wonder how all this fit together.

Spoting a small bump slightly covered by a sheet, Lee reached for it only for the mystery to deepen further. What was Clementine's hat doing here?

"Don't you fucking move!"

His hands were immediately on his gun and he swerved to see a woman. Instincts tell him that they outnumber her and that a chance of them being ambushed was minimal considering the size of the camp. A single pull of a trigger is all it would take. But based on his findings, Lee knew that behind the crazed look on the woman's eyes that there must be a hint of good there somewhere. A sanity beyond the reach of tradegy. "Put your guns down! I ain't going back. You tell 'em Jolene ain't going back!"

"Hey, we had a deal! No shooting us as long as we give you food! What the fuck happened?"

Jolene looked ticked off. There's something about what Dan said that infuriated the woman. "You had a deal with _them_! I ain't them." She cackled maniacally with a look in her eyes that seem to share a secret. "I know you. I know what you are, I know what you do."

Dan's eyes widened at the accusation and the way he looked at Lee anxiously sealed the deal. That was a confirmation if Lee ever saw one.

"Let's just kill her, Lee. This old bat's spouting-"

"The truth, right?"

Danny froze, eyes wide at the sight of Lee's barrel pointing at him. Jolene obviously caught on because she was laughing hysterically a second later, her crossbow trailed on his companion. "Well, well, well... how the tables have turned!"

The man's hand shook, conflicted as to who to point his gun between the two. "I don't know what you're talking about! What are you doing, Lee?"

"I'm sorry, Danny. But I'd rather not be dinner tonight."

Lee heard the man's breath hitch and saw his gun being swerved on him. He was a step ahead however and instinctively pulled the trigger, shooting the man on the side and causing his firearm to drop.

"Tsk! You sonava... GAH!"

An arrow buried on his right arm and Lee followed up with a kick on the man's chest sending him to a nearby tree. Danny didn't even had the chance to recover when a heel buried on his gunshot wound causing him to cry out. Lee didn't look up as the woman approached, kicking away the fallen rifle as she did.

"A've always wanted to do that..." Her words dripped with satisfaction and he wondered if she had lost people to the sickening family. As though hearing his silent question, she clarified. "Them family's the one keepin' those men alive. With you gone.."

She cocked another arrow and Lee reluctantly intervened, still keeping his eye on the groaning man. "Now, now, Jolene, there's no need to-"

"What? You keepin' him alive? Bullshit."

"Ha!" The man beneath his feet howled before being reduced to a coughing fit. The action caused blood to run down his chin. "The woman's got more balls than you, Lee! This is how the world works now. She understands... and so does that dead kid."

Lee froze, gripping his rifle as hard as ice gripped his heart. "What the fuck did you say?"

He chuckled "Your boy knows his stuff. Nearly killed me, he did. Too bad momma's gonna cook him tonig-"

There was a gunshot followed by blood splatters all around their feet. Lee stared at the grotesque hole he made on the man's forehead and waited for the regret and the guilt, just like before.

It did not come.

"Tch. Serves 'im right." The voice put him out of his stupor. He's almost forgotten about the woman.

"Jolene, right?"

"That's right. And don' act buddy buddy with me. Jus' cus we killed that fucker doesn' mean we're pals." Jolene trailed her crossbow at him to prove a point and while this would normally alert the man, he didn't raise his rifle. He doesn't feel like he has any more strength to do so. The man feels so drained, he just wants the day to be over.

"First of all, I'm not with the bandits and neither am I friends with the St. Johns, as you can see. Secondly, I don't know what happened to you but that girl you stole this hat from is NOT your daughter."

"The hell she ain't! She's my daughter and I'm bringing her back to me!"

He sighed. This feels like a conversation with one of his more troublesome students in the past. "I'm sorry, Jolene. I don't know how to help you."

"You took her! You took her away and I'll take her back-!" Mad rantings he didn't bother to listen to continued. He didn't have time for this. Thankfully, the woman seemed to have been expending as much energy as words because the crossbow is now lowered. All it took was a swift grip on her dominant hand to make her defenceless. "NO! Don't touch me!"

"SHE'S DEAD!" Jolene jumped at the volume and the words, staring in shock as Lee glowered at her face, howling his frustrations. "THAT LITTLE GIRL IS NOT YOUR DAUGHTER BECAUSE YOUR DAUGHTER IS DEAD!"

He paused at the too glassy look in her eyes.

It started with a sniffle before she finally broke down. The woman screamed and punched the ground and bawled her eyes out on the ground, like a child. After reluctantly releasing her wrist, he watched her until her hands bled and tears and mucus can no longer be told apart. When she didn't look to be finishing soon, he took action and rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down. Jumbled, almost incomprehensible, words follow. She talked about the bandits. She talked about how they were raped. She talked about her 9 year old daughter and how she was taken by the men and away from her and to the forest only to never return.

She tells him about how they exchange women and young boys for food and how she could still be alive on some sick bandit base somewhere.

Lee did nothing but unconsciously nod and rub her back while taking note of the bandit locations that she knows. The sooner she tells him everything she knows, the sooner he could return to Naruto. Something is telling him these bandits would be a problem in the future.

...

When Naruto came to, it felt like he was treading in between the waking and the sleeping world. He was capable of thought but everything felt and looked just as bleary as his memories. All he registered were the too bright lights and the uncomfortably wet tiles he was lying on. There was a groan at his side and he perked up at the thought of company— only to freeze.

It was a tied up Mr. Parker or at least it used to be. Its milky eyes stared blankly at his direction, rabid animal like groans coming out of his mouth. The wetness of the floor that was now also covering Naruto's form was from the man's amputated, bandaged legs. They seem to have tried to keep him alive and Naruto wasn't sure whether Parker was lucky he died early or not.

The blonde tried to move away quietly but the action was proven impossible because his arms and legs were bound. It was only then that his memories resurfaced, causing him to panic. _I have to get out of here._

But first he has to free himself. The ropes binding his wrists however were tight so there were no options to simply slip one of his hands out. He needed to cut them.

The kunai from his sleeve was taken, he noticed but that wasn't his only one. He felt for another kunai at the back of his waist band and two others from both ankles and cursed when he felt none. If only he had access to his hands, he should at least be able to defend himself or cast a jutsu or two.

His eyes survey the room to find something to cut the ropes with.

It appears to be a bathroom of some kind and he rolled to a seiza position to find a door behind him. What took him by surprise were two other people in the room— Mark and Travis on the bath tub, both unconscious and bounded but appears to be unharmed. His eyes finally caught what appears to be a brown glass bottle peaking at the edge of the sink. Applying what weight he could to his elbows and upper body, he raised his bounded legs to toople it over. The drugs still in his system made the act of balancing his body almost an impossibility. It took more than a few tries but it eventually fell and shattered into pieces, spilling its contents— chloroform, unto the floor.

Moving towards it, he reaches for the biggest and sharpest shard and proceeded to cut, ignoring broken glasses jutting on his tailbone. Unfortunately, the crash must've been loud because hurried steps on the floorboards followed. His fingers desperately pushed back and forth until they bled but were making very little progress on the thick ropes.

A noise similar to something being pushed aside reverberated outside the door before it finally opened.

"Well ain't this a surprise, I wasn't expecting it be you. The drugs were supposed to last for a couple more hours." Brenda sneered as he tried to hide his actions. His urgency doubled at the sight of a saw hanging lazily on the woman's fingers. She smiled when she saw where his eyes were but was momentarily surprised at something behind him. Her voice seemed to be agitating the turned Mr. Parker. "Oh dear, what a waste. I was hopin' to take his arms next but he's already tainted at this point, oh well..."

Her eyes returned to him, her smile widening. "I was thinkin' the Mark fellow could be next but you just made my decision for me."

Naruto tried to back away but quickly lost space at the realization of a turned Parker behind him. Lessons from Jiraiya resurfaced as he struggled to hatch a plan and set his hands free but he needs more time. "Why? Why do this?"

That stopped the woman in her tracks, a look of clear confusion on her face. "Why? Why else would you do anything during times like these? For survival, of course!"

"Sacrifice yourselves so that others may live. This is how the world works now!" The woman loomed over his form and he readily lied on the floor in an act of surrender, praying for his plan to work. She smiled at this, her body moving forward and almost on top of him. "Looks like you know how to be obedient, after all! Now, if you be a good boy, I might even give you some anaesthe-"

Once close enough, he pushed her with bent legs and kicked her over his head— and unto Mr. Parker.

"GAH—! NO! AHHHH—!" As much as he wanted to, he didn't stay to watch, and simply darted to the fallen saw. It was much more awkward because of the size and the freedom his hands were working with but it proved to be sharper than the glass.

Meanwhile, the woman was wailing at the back, clutching her bloody shoulder that was clearly missing a big chunk. With Mr. Parker tied up, it was easy for her to escape but not without any damage. "No... ha ha... no, this can't be real- a bite? A bite... I'm bitten... I'm BITTEN!"

Crawling outside, Naruto left the small room while carrying the saw to gain some distance from the hyperventilating woman. Judging by the double bed, the outside appears to be a bedroom. Someone hastily opened the front door downstairs and Naruto cursed his luck. As expected, it was a grim faced Andy carrying his rifle. He froze at the sight of the blonde but was put off by his mother's wailing. "Momma, what—?"

"I'm BIT! I HAVE A BITE!" She wailed hysterically at his frozen son. "Help me, Andy! I'm going to die... I'm going to DIE!"

Andy's eyes trailed to Mr. Parker chewing his mother's flesh like a gum, then to her bite before finally turning to him. His voice sounded like it's laced with venom. "It's you, isn't it?"

He was too focused on freeing himself to respond. The blade finally went through the thick rope and he quickly went to work with his ankles-

 _BANG_

It sent him backwards, his hand instantly reaching for his bloody right arm, hissing at the pain and catching his breath. Thoughts of escape were all replaced by the burning sensation. His arm felt like it was on fire and his body far too warm like he was covered with several layers of blankets he couldn't move. Naruto has never felt anything like this before.

Being hit by thrown kunais and shurikens is painful but they were rarely deep and are always clean. But this... this was excruciating. He can easily tell that he broke his humerus and his soft tissues were completely destroyed— like a small bomb imploded inside his arm.

A shadow towered over him and he saw Andy with Brenda behind him. The woman still had a maniacal look in her eyes but seemed to have settled to applying the rest of her energy on him. "You... this is all your FAULT!"

Before the boy could do anything, Andy was unto him, pinning him down while Brenda handled his legs. The sight of the saw in her hands caused him to struggle and scream as much as he can. _Someone from outside needs to come. They should hear-_

The saw made contact.

Naruto let out an ear splitting scream. It moved back and forth, Brenda applying as much pressure as she can, grinning as she did so. Andy watched overhead, his eyes dripping with grim satisfaction. Besides his voice, all he could hear were the gruesome sounds coming from his left leg and the beating of his own heart. By the time it has reached his bone, he has screamed his vocal chords raw.

Tears ran down his face and he was sure he was going to pass out if not for the torture. If the day hasn't exhausted him, his screaming certainly did. The others will certainly know of this but they will be too late to save his leg if not his life.

" _ **Weak."**_

For a moment, Naruto was convinced he was hallucinating— until he saw red.

At first, it was a light shade of the color. Andy looked shocked for some reason but he didn't care because the burly arms pinning his arms were no more and he meant that literally because the man's arms were suddenly in the air, coating the ceiling a pretty red. The man followed his limbs a moment later. The woman dropped the saw as well but she was too late.

Naruto already has her in his clutches, her horrified expression has been the best thing he's seen all day. He was acting on instinct alone now, with no thought process at all. All that mattered was that the woman tried to kill them. It only made sense for him to return the favour.

A darker shade of red sprung forth.

...

The first warning Lily had was a high-pitched screeching that sounded like Brenda coming from the house. Before she could take action however, Andy was on the move, beating her to the front door. "Andy! Wait!"

The man ignored her calls and closed the door behind him, leaving her anxious and indecisive. There were two of them and only one of her but her promised to Lee drove her forward. With a handgun in on hand, she took the doorknob only to find it locked. When slamming the door with her body didn't work, she resulted to shooting it open which proved to be useless.

There was a gunshot inside and her blood ran cold. She has to get inside _now._

She didn't know how to pick locks, nor does the house have any other doors... But they have windows.

She spotted the closest window and reached it only to find it locked. With quick movements, she shot the glass, slipped her arm to unlock it and jumped inside. She could hear the confused and enraged voice of her father outside but decided to deal with him later.

She sprinted to the staircase, taking two steps at a time while holding her handgun, expecting a fight. Only to find it finished.

Bile rose from her throat at the sight and the smell until she eventually couldn't stop her breakfast from spilling out. It was a murder scene. No, it wouldn't even be enough to describe it as a mere murder scene. Blood, limbs, innards and bones were scattered everywhere and not a part of the bedroom was spared by the blood. Dyed red clothes were the only clues she has to ever identifying who these people were. Plural because while she was no doctor, she refused to believe that one person has this much blood.

Once she finished heaving, she forced herself to settle and investigate. While she would much rather be in any place else, it's still her responsibility to make sure of their group members' safety.

Her footsteps were silent as she crossed the room and she prayed to never meet whatever caused this. Her investigation eventually led her to a bathroom. The thing she sees first is a Walker— It's Mr. Parker with a crushed forehead. Him turning into a Walker was less of a shock compared to his amputated legs but if what Lee said were true then she has her suspicions on where they may be.

Moving the shower curtains revealed to her the first good thing she's seen today— It was Mark and Travis. It took a bit of time but when she finally set them free, it was to her relief that both were unharmed. At least she now knows what happened to three of their four people in the house. All that's left now is Naruto.

While thinking of how to bring the two out, she hears a scuffle that automatically led her hands to her gun. With the small size of the wrecked bedroom, it was easy to discern that there was nobody else there despite swearing that the noise came from here. She checked two smaller bedrooms from the other side of the house just to be sure but found nothing suspicious. Another clutter and she quickly returned only to notice the closet close.

If her suspicions on who the two who died in the room were true, then the only one left is Naruto. But why would he be so afraid of her? She gently knocked twice on the wardrobe door and received a harsh thud inside. With the gentlest voice she can, she asked. "Naruto? Are you there?"

No response.

She can, of course just open the door since closet doors has no locks but the boy doesn't seem to want anyone at the moment. Still, she had to try. "Naruto, knock once if it's okay for me to open this. Twice if not."

She waited impatiently. After a minute with still no response, she sighed. "I'm going to open the door now, Naruto."

She did so gently so as to not startle the obviously traumatised boy. There were dresses and coats in hangers but the one she focused on is the boy making himself as little as possible in the corner. His back was turned to her but it was obvious he was there when the carnage happened. His once bright orange hoody was now dyed red, making it hard to tell if he had any injuries and his normally spiky hair flattened a bit at the dark liquid dripping on its locks. His shoulders were shaking and while she feels the need to comfort the boy, she also knew of his obsession with knives so she refrained from touching him in the meantime.

"Hey there Ruto, it must've been hard. Are you hurt? Do you want me to do anything for you?"

After a while, he finally spoke in a strained, quiet voice. "...lee."

She left him alone, after that.

A few minutes later, Kenny with the rest of their able bodied members arrived, followed by Lee shortly after. Explanations and grief spread to the group, especially at the sight of the bloodbath. It took a while but a grim faced Lee finally went downstairs, carrying little Naruto who appeared as small as ever, wearing his hood over his head. He explains that he's bandaged the boy's injuries but will definitely need Katjaa after this.

They go back to the motor inn, Lily watching the man's back and recalling how the blonde boy whispered nothing but his name.

Not knowing that it will be the last time she will ever hear from him for the next few weeks.

...

During his unconscious, the first thing Naruto registered was the wetness of the floor and the darkness of the large room.

Everything was red. It was in the color of the sewer water pooling around him, it was in the color of the bars that protruded to the impossibly high ceiling, and they were the color of the ginormous slit eyes behind those same bars.

 **"** **Hello, boy."** Greeted a deep, amused voice from behind the cellar. **"Liked my gift?"**

He let out a staggered breath. It was only then that he realized why that voice from before sounded so familiar.

"Kyuubi..."

 _AN: A bit of a word vomit and oh hey lotsa action, hope this is ok._

 _Also irl, after two more dead relatives after the last chap and a very smart_ _ **(very smART)**_ _nephew gambled away his college tuition fees that he did not earn, I'm happy to say that I'm okay now. Doing a jobhunt tho. Wish me luck._


End file.
